Abstract: An information processing method, for an information processing apparatus including a controller, includes a first step, by the controller, of acquiring positional information indicating a change over time in positions of a plurality of users, a second step, by the controller, of predicting a number of the users who will gather at a specific time at a boarding/alighting point to board/alight from a vehicle based on the change over time in the positions of the plurality of users indicated by the positional information, and a third step, by the controller, of determining a vehicle dispatch schedule for the vehicle to the boarding/alighting point based on the number of users predicted to gather at the specific time at the boarding/alighting point.

Abstract: A light irradiation angle is set with respect to a first surface so as to detect only either first reflected light or second reflected light. Then, light is emitted from a light irradiation part at the set irradiation angle while a detection chip is kept in motion, either the first reflected light or the second reflected light is detected by a reflected light detection part, and positional information of the detection chip is acquired on the basis of the result of the detection of the first or second reflected light. The detection chip is moved, on the basis of the acquired positional information, to a detection position where detection of a substance to be detected is performed. While the detection chip is kept at the detection position, detection of the substance to be detected is performed through detection of sample light.

Abstract: A light irradiation angle is set with respect to a first surface so as to detect only either first reflected light or second reflected light. Then, light is emitted from a light irradiation part at the set irradiation angle while a detection chip is kept in motion, either the first reflected light or the second reflected light is detected by a reflected light detection part, and positional information of the detection chip is acquired on the basis of the result of the detection of the first or second reflected light. The detection chip is moved, on the basis of the acquired positional information, to a detection position where detection of a substance to be detected is performed. While the detection chip is kept at the detection position, detection of the substance to be detected is performed through detection of sample light.

Abstract: A molten metal supply cylinder for melting a low melting point metallic material in a solid phase and supplying the molten metal material, including a melting section to be directly or indirectly brought into contact with a low melting point metallic material to produce molten metal, and a substantially tubular flow path that has a first opening formed at an end thereof in the melting section and a second opening at the other end thereof and allows the molten metal produced in the melting section to flow. An oxide of the surface layer of the low melting point metallic material is removed by an oxide removing section before the low melting point metallic material is molten in the melting section.

Abstract: A zoom lens includes a magnification-varying lens unit moving in an optical axis direction; a movable optical unit arranged in an object side of the magnification-varying lens unit; and a controller for moving the optical unit and the zoom lens displacing an image. A movable range of the optical unit is larger at a wide angle end than at a telephoto end. The zoom lens further includes a position detecting unit for detecting a relative position of the magnification-varying lens unit; and a position computing unit for computing a position of the magnification-varying lens unit. It is driven to a reference position immediately after power-on, then its position stored in the position computing unit is initialized to the reference position, then it is driven to a position at power-on, and then the movable range of the optical unit is set so as to correspond to the position of the magnification.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a molten metal supply cylinder that has a simple configuration if compared with the configurations of the prior art and can suppress mixing of oxide that is produced on the surface of a low melting point metallic material in a solid phase with molten metal.

Abstract: To provide a common rail that can prevent stress concentration from arising locally with respect to intersecting portions between a flow path and branching paths and can prevent damage such as cracks. A common rail that is used in a fuel injection system of an internal combustion engine comprises: a rail body portion that includes inside of itself a flow path along an axial direction; and branching pipe portions that are arrayed along the axial direction of the rail body portion, project from and are molded integrally with the rail body portion, and each of which includes inside of itself a branching path that branches from the flow path, wherein edges of inlets of the branching paths at intersecting portions between the flow path and the branching paths are chamfered, and, of the edges, the radius of curvature of the edges in the axial direction of the rail body portion is larger than the radius of curvature of the edges in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the rail body portion.

Abstract: A photographing system includes a lens apparatus having an image blur correcting device configured to correct and/or reduce image blur caused by vibration, a vibration sensor for detecting vibration applied to the lens apparatus, a position detecting device configured to detect a position change of the lens apparatus, and a controlling device configured to control the image blur correcting device using a detection signal of the position detecting device. The photographing system reduces the influence of low frequency noise of a vibration sensor, while maintaining the quality of a vibration isolation function of the lens apparatus.

Abstract: A probe method of this invention includes a step of reducing an electrode of a wafer by using a forming gas, and a step of bringing the electrode and a probe pin into contact with each other in a dry atmosphere. The probe method further includes, prior to a reducing process of an electrode of the object to be tested, placing the object to be tested in an inert gas atmosphere and heating the object to be tested. The reducing process is performed by bringing a reducing gas into contact with the electrode of the object to be tested under atmospheric pressure.

Abstract: To provide a common rail that can prevent stress concentration from arising locally with respect to intersecting portions between a flow path and branching paths and can prevent damage such as cracks. A common rail that is used in a fuel injection system of an internal combustion engine comprises: a rail body portion that includes inside of itself a flow path along an axial direction; and branching pipe portions that are arrayed along the axial direction of the rail body portion, project from and are molded integrally with the rail body portion, and each of which includes inside of itself a branching path that branches from the flow path, wherein edges of inlets of the branching paths at intersecting portions between the flow path and the branching paths are chamfered, and, of the edges, the radius of curvature of the edges in the axial direction of the rail body portion is larger than the radius of curvature of the edges in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the rail body portion.

Abstract: To provide a fuel injector that has excellent durability with respect to pressure of high-pressure fuel and can accurately perform injection control even when injecting even higher pressure fuel. A fuel injector has, on a proximal end portion side of a nozzle needle inside an injector housing, a valve body in which a discharge hole for discharging high-pressure fuel is formed and a valve that opens and closes the discharge hole as a result of being lifted and seated in an axial direction, and a space between the valve body and the injector housing is open in the direction of an end portion of the valve body on the nozzle needle side, with the high-pressure fuel being passable through the space.

Abstract: A photographing system includes a lens apparatus having an image blur correcting device configured to correct and/or reduce image blur caused by vibration, a vibration sensor for detecting vibration applied to the lens apparatus, a position detecting device configured to detect a position change of the lens apparatus, and a controlling device configured to control the image blur correcting device using a detection signal of the position detecting device. The photographing system reduces the influence of low frequency noise of a vibration sensor, while maintaining the quality of a vibration isolation function of the lens apparatus.

Abstract: A photographing system includes a lens apparatus having an image blur correcting device configured to correct and/or reduce image blur caused by vibration, a vibration sensor for detecting vibration applied to the lens apparatus, a position detecting device configured to detect a position change of the lens apparatus, and a controlling device configured to control the image blur correcting device using a detection signal of the position detecting device. The photographing system reduces the influence of low frequency noise of a vibration sensor, while maintaining the quality of a vibration isolation function of the lens apparatus.

Abstract: The invention provides a screen printing apparatus and a screen printing method with which the separability of the printing member just after printing a print material has been improved.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to make it possible to perform the embedding of a Cu diffusion preventing film and a Cu film to a fine pattern of a high aspect ratio by using a medium of a supercritical state in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device. The object of the invention is achieved by a substrate processing method comprising a first step of processing a substrate by supplying a first processing medium containing a first medium of a supercritical state onto the substrate, a second step of forming a Cu diffusion preventing film on the substrate by supplying a second processing medium containing a second medium of a supercritical state onto the substrate, and a third step of forming a Cu film on the substrate by supplying a third processing medium containing a third medium of a supercritical state onto the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a lens drive apparatus including: an image pickup lens group; a lens frame holding the image pickup lens group; an actuator comprising a magnet, a yoke, and a coil formed of an electric conductor; a casing housing the lense frame and the actuator therein; and at least one guide shaft parallel to an optical axis of the image pickup lens group. An electromagnetic force generated when electricity is applied to the coil, moves the lens frame and the image pickup lens along the optical axis.

Abstract: In a fuel injector (1) configured so that fuel injection is controlled by a solenoid valve (4), the solenoid valve (4) comprises an electromagnet (43), an armature bolt (41) that has a ball (42) and a plate member (41A) attached thereto and is spring-biased in the valve closing direction by a spring member (48), a stopper member (49) that limits movement of the plate member (41A) in order to limit the maximum stroke of the ball (42) and an armature plate (44) through which the armature bolt (41) passes and which collaborates with the solenoid valve (4), the contact area (S2) between the armature plate (44) and the plate member (41A) being made larger than the contact area (S1) between the plate member (41A) and the stopper member (49).

Abstract: A photographing system includes a lens apparatus having an image blur correcting device configured to correct and/or reduce image blur caused by vibration, a vibration sensor for detecting vibration applied to the lens apparatus, a position detecting device configured to detect a position change of the lens apparatus, and a controlling device configured to control the image blur correcting device using a detection signal of the position detecting device. The photographing system reduces the influence of low frequency noise of a vibration sensor, while maintaining the quality of a vibration isolation function of the lens apparatus.

Abstract: In a fuel injector (1) configured so that fuel injection is controlled by a solenoid valve (4), the solenoid valve (4) comprises an electromagnet (43), an armature bolt (41) that has a ball (42) and a plate member (41A) attached thereto and is spring-biased in the valve closing direction by a spring member (48), a stopper member (49) that limits movement of the plate member (41A) in order to limit the maximum stroke of the ball (42) and an armature plate (44) through which the armature bolt (41) passes and which collaborates with the solenoid valve (4), the contact area (S2) between the armature plate (44) and the plate member (41A) being made larger than the contact area (S1) between the plate member (41A) and the stopper member (49).

Abstract: An object of the invention is to make it possible to perform the embedding of a Cu diffusion preventing film and a Cu film to a fine pattern of a high aspect ratio by using a medium of a supercritical state in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device. The object of the invention is achieved by a substrate processing method comprising a first step of processing a substrate by supplying a first processing medium containing a first medium of a supercritical state onto the substrate, a second step of forming a Cu diffusion preventing film on the substrate by supplying a second processing medium containing a second medium of a supercritical state onto the substrate, and a third step of forming a Cu film on the substrate by supplying a third processing medium containing a third medium of a supercritical state onto the substrate.